Since its release in Fusion Strike, Mew VMAX has been a consistent contender in the metagame. I think it will be very difficult to find a major tournament over the past 9 months where Mew has not placed in the top positions, something that perfectly expresses the power and versatility of this deck. With every new set release, players wonder if Mew will still be relevant, and every single time, Mew proves to them how amazing it is. In this article, we are going to be covering the last version of the deck and analysing why it is a force to be reckoned with in the current Standard format.

Fusion Energy or not Fusion Energy?


Mew VMAX

For a long time, this debate simply couldn’t happen. The most successful Mew VMAX Pokemon online decks were the ones that run a combination of Double Turbo energies and Fusion Strikeenergies, normally a 2 and 3/4 line split. Fusion Strike was what made Meloetta a very scary attacker in the first turns of the game and the perfect way to pull off a surprise attack with the combination of Elesa’s Sparkle.

Pokestop

But you know that nothing lasts forever, and with the arrival of Pokémon GO, players started experimenting with PokéStop, a Stadium that lets you discard the top 3 cards of your deck and add all the items cards you find there to your hand. Since Mew VMAX is a deck that heavily relies on objects and runs very few supporters and energies, the idea soon solidified in a new way of playing Mew, and Mew DTE (Double turbo energy) was born. If Mew had already been recognized as one of the most aggressive decks in the format, this new version takes things one step further and focuses on copying Genesect V’s attack over and over until your opponent is left without Pokémon on the field. Before we go into the list and explain the card choices, it is important to explain the advantages and disadvantages that a Mew DTE has in comparison to another build that runs Fusion Strike energy:

Advantages:

  • It is faster. Playing PokéStop can provide a very powerful acceleration and access to a lot of key cards earlier during the game.
  • You have more space. Meloetta, Fusion Strike Energy and Elessa’s Sparkle add up to 9 cards. If you cut these, you can approach the deck building in a different way, even find some space to tech against certain matchups.

Disadvantages:

  • PokeStop can turn against you. Not that this is going to happen every time, but there are not many ways to control what you are going to mill with PokéStop and, as such, if you happen to mill energy cards or Pokémon that you need, the game suddenly becomes a different one as you are left with less resources. Cylenne plays here a very important role in recycling cards.
  • You suffer more against one prize decks. You need to be constantly attacking with Mew and relying on Psychic Leap to heal your VMAX against mini Pokémon. Sometimes this works, but others, if you don’t have enough Power Tablet in your hand, you might even miss the KO.
  • The “turn 1 Meloetta KO” is not available.

While I do have my own personal opinion about this debate, what is undeniable is that the deck that has gotten the most success recently is the Mew DTE version, as it looks to be more prepared to face the current metagame.


Decklist


To explain how this deck works, I am going to borrow Ian Rob’s list from Peoria’s Regional, which is the Mew deck that got a better placement out of +1000 players (not a bad number, right?).

Pokémon (12)

Trainers (44)

Energy (4)

4x Mew V FST 1132x Boss's Orders BRS 1324x Double Turbo Energy BRS 151
3x Mew VMAX FST 1142x Marnie CPA 56
4x Genesect V FST 1851x Volo LOR 169
1x Oricorio FST 421x Roxanne ASR 150

1x Cyllene ASR 138

4x Ultra Ball BRS 150

4x Quick Ball FST 237

4x Battle VIP Pass FST 225

4x Cram-o-matic FST 229

4x Power Tablet FST 236

4x Cross Switcher FST 230

3x Rotom Phone CPA 64

1x Pal Pad SSH 172

1x Switch Cart ASR 154

1x Echoing Horn CRE 136

2x Choice Belt BRS 135

2x Lost City LOR 161

2x PokéStop PGO 68

1x Path to the Peak CRE 148

Mew VMAX decklist

The Pokémon line is pretty straightforward, considering we can not run Meloetta and that we want to maximize the possibilities of opening with Mew V in our hand. But when we look at the trainer's cards, this is where the fun begins!

RoxanneMarnie

The first thing that you are probably noticing is the variety in the Supporters this deck runs. As explained above, not having to invest space in the Fusion Strike Package means you can now add other cards (even disruption ones) like Marnie and Roxanne, which are completely game-changers. Another interesting aspect is that we don’t only run some copies of Boss’ Orders but a full playset of Cross Switcher, something that allows explosive plays and synergizes extremely well with PokéStop. As far as the Stadium cards go, the list still runs 4 (no one wants to get stuck with a Path to the Peak forever), but there is a split line of 2 PokéStop and 2 Lost City. Lost City is a new card from Lost Origin that sends knockout Pokémon to the Lost Zone instead of the discard pile. This is absolutely necessary, given that Drapion V is included in many Pokemon online decks, and you can’t afford your opponent to recycle it. Also, it is a great card to play against Lost Box, specifically Radiant Charizard, because there is no way you can maintain the prize race against something that is constantly dealing 250 damage with one prize.


However, as I explained before, Mew suffers against this kind of deck and has to rely on the opponents having a slow start or not finding the cards they need during the first couple of turns. Broadly speaking, this Mew deck is perfectly equipped to destroy any other strategy that relies on a VSTAR or VMAX attacker, as they will probably go down before they even have the chance to evolve, but it has a terrible match-up against one prizers. As such, some players have been opting to try to counter Lost Box with some healing cards like Hyper Potion and even Crystal Cave to heal some damage of the Genesects V (Genesects are often targeted by Sableye’s attack).

Conclusion


Mew is still a very strong contender in the metagame, and results prove that it should still be taken into consideration. Even if players are constantly trying to go against it with the inclusion of Drapion in their lists, Mew always seems to find a way out. If you like aggressive and fast strategies, I highly encourage you to test out this list and see the power it has with your own eyes. And, of course, don’t forget that you can get the code cards you need for Pokémon TCG Live or Pokémon TCG Online here at PoTown Store to build this deck in the blink of an eye. Thanks for reading!

About the writer


Elena has been playing Pokémon TCG for years and leads one of the biggest TCG-dedicated channels in the world. You can find her on Youtube & Twitch (@gaiastormtcg) as well as in other social media channels. Don’t forget to check them out!